Vaporizer.



0. P. UNDERWOOD.

VAPORIZER. l APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913. 1,09 1,782. Patented Mar. 31, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

EL n n w y l I f- 0. P. UNDBRWOOD.

vAPoRIzBR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913.

1,091,782. Patented Mar.31,1914.

a sums-SHEET 2.

` gines of air and liquid fuel may yOJIVJEIB P. UNDERWOOD, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

VAPORIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application 'led June 23, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31; 19151.

Serial N0. 775,433.

To all-.whom it may concern Be it known that l, OLIVER P. UNDER- woo'n, aY citizen of the United States, residing at Des llVloineS, in the county of Polk and State. of Iowa, have invented .a certain new and useful Vaporizer, of .which the following isa specification.

The object of my inventlon is to provlde a v aporizer of simple, durable'and inexpensive construction especially designed for use in connection with internal combustion lenin which the fuel em loyed .is kerosene or other of the lower gra es of refined petroleum.

More specifically itis my object to provide a device of this kind in which the liquid fuel is va Jorized by the .application of .heatand in .which the amount of heat is regulated or proportioned to suit the varying requirements of use; that is to say, vwhen the gas is being used very rapidly the amount of applied heat will be proportionately 1ncreased. i

A, further object is to provide a device of this class in which a proportionate'amount of applied heat may be regulated either'by the operator to suit certain unusual requirements suoli for instance as in starting, or 1t may be regulated automatically to operate in conjunction with the throttle control.

A further object is to provide'a device of this kind in which the proportionate amount be accurately regulated to suit the varying requirements of use.

My invention consist-s in certain details, in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a vaporizer body portion embodying my invention. Fig. 9. shows a vertical, central, sectional View of same. Fig. 3 shows a top or plan view of same partly in section. Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of a part of the vaporizer body and athrottle control device combined with a device for regulating the electrical heating element. Fig. 5 shows a det-ail view illustrating' the rheostat and a part of the throttle control device. Fig. 6 shows a detail, sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 shows a. detail view of the throttle lever and rheostat controlling lever to illustrate the spring -actuated pawl for connecting them;`

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

l have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the movablebody portion of thevaporizer. It comprises a chamber 11 having afloat 12 therein `'provided with a stem 13. This stem extends down through a. valve connection 14j which is provided with a screw threaded opening 15 to receive a pipe for providing liquid fuel and it has a Vertical opening 16 to receive the stem 13 and a transverse opening 17, the passageway through which is controlled by the head 13al on the stem 13. When the float is in the position shown in Fig. 2, this passage- ,way 17 is closed and when the floatis elevate'd so that the bottom of the stem 13 extends abovethe opening 17 liquid fuel may l'flow through said opening into the Vaporizer chamber. In the sides of the vaporizer chamber is a number of vertical passageways 18 communicating at their lower portion with the interior of the vaporizer chamber and extending upwardly to the shoulder 19 near the top of the Vaporizer chamber. At the top of the vaporizer chamber, I preferably provide a top portion :2O made of material that will offer a considerable resistance to the transmission of heat such for instance as asbestos.

Above the shoulder 19 the side walls of the vaporizer chamber are curved inwardly and tapered upwardly at 21 and terminate in ay tube 22 open at hollow chamber within the tube and between the walls 21 and the part 20." In this tube I place an electrical heating unit '23, the service wires for which extend up through the tube and are indicated by the numeral 2&1.

Surrounding the vaporizing chamber 10 is a mixing chamber comprising a cylindrical body portion 25 open at its lower end and held spaced apart from the sides of the vaporizing chamber 10 by the annular rim Q6 on the vaporizing chamber, thus forming a circular air chamber 27 surrounding the vaporizing chamber. The set screws 28 are provided to form guides so that the mixing chamber 25 may slide up and down freely on the vaporizing chamber. At the top of the side walls of the mixing chamber '25, the sides thereof are curved inwardly and upwardly at 29 and terminate at the upper portion in a vapor outlet. tube 30 de-V its top, thus forming a signed to lead to the intake manifold of an engine. In this tube 30' is a throttle valve 31 of ordinary construction.

By the arrangement just described, it is obvious that when the mixing chamber 25 is elevated relative to the vaporizing chamber ay relatively large passageway will be provided between these two chambers at the shoulder 19 and when the mixing chamber is lowered this passageway will be reduced. In order to provide for the regulation of this passageway at the shoulder 19 in unison with the adjustment of the throttle valve 31, I have provided on the valve stem 32 of the valve 31 two eccentrics 33, one on each end of the yvalve stem, which eccentricsare rotatably mounted in the hanger members 34. These hanger members extend downwardly below the vaporizing chamber and. at the bottom of the vaporizing chamber is a socket 35 in which is mounted a set screw 36,. which set screw is seated in the bottom ofthe hanger 34 and is provided with a handle 37 so that when the screw 36 is turned the vaporizing chamber will be moved up and down relative to the mixing chamber and thus the passageway between the shoulder 19 of the adjacent part of the mixing chamber will be varied in size. This screw 36 is only for the purpose of an original adjustnient of this passageway at the shoulder 19 or an occasional readjustment, it being understood that each time the throttle is operated to adjust the position of the throttle valve 31, the hanger 34 is also operated to raise or lower the vaporizing chamber so that the quantity of air passing through the mixing chamber will be regulated both by the throttle valve and by the size of the passageway at the shoulder 19. Air is admitted into the chamber 27 through the opening 38 which is shown in Fig. 3.

The means for controlling the passage of air through the vaporizer and the means for regulating the amount of hea-t applied to the electric heating unit 23 is as follows: -In Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have illustrated a throttle controlling shaft 39 having a hand lever 4U on one end and a lever 41 o-n the other end connected to a bell crank lever 42, which bell crank lever is connected to a lever 43 on the valve stem 32 by means of the link 44. Surrounding the shaft 39 is a sleeve 45 having on one end a controlling lever 46 andv on the other end a lever 47 which is extended to position overlapping an electric rheostat 48 of ordinary construction. This rheoslat is electrically7 connected to the service wires 24 of the heating unit and is arranged in the ordinary manner so that a. movement of the lever 47 regulates the amount of heat developed in said heating unit.

In some instances it is desirable to apply heat to the heating unit independent of thet throttle such for instance as warming up the vaporizer before starting the engine, and 1n other lnstances 1t is desirable to have the amount of heat generated in the heating j.

unit bear a certain proportionate relation to the position of the throttle valve. For this purpose, I have provided a lever 49 fulcrumed to the lever 40 and provided with a notch 50. A spring 51 is applied to this lever 49. The said notch 50 is designed to engage the handle 52 of the lever 46 and is normally held in such engagement by the spring 51 so that a movement of the throttle lever will cause the rheostat controlling lever to move in unison with it. However when it is desired to move the rheostat con-trolling lever independently, the operator simply presses down upon the free end of the lever 49 and releases it from the handle 52, whereupon the lever 40 may be moved independently of the throttle lever.

In practical use and assuming that the vaporizer is applied to an automobile engine and that the engine is running at an average speed, then the air is taken in through the opening 38 into the chamber 27. This air is made to pass through a relatively narrow opening adjacent to the shoulder 19 and in going through this narrow opening it comes in close contact with the upper ends of the liquid fuel supply passageways 18 and the suction of the airvtogether with the capillary attraction of the liquid fuel in said passageways conducts a thin film of liquid fuel to the shoulder 19. This film of liquid fuel is then drawn by the current of air upon the inwardly and upwardly curved heating surface 21 and as it comes in contact with said heated surface it is vaporized and the gas thus formed is passed through the outlet 30 to the intake manifold of the engine.

One of the diiiiculties that has been encountered in connection with the use of kerosene as a liquid fuel for internal combustion engines, is due to the fact that there are a great many grades of so-called kerosene and that these different grades vaporize at differ! ent degrees of temperature. My improvement is especially designed to obviate thisl defect and it does so by having the curved heating surfacel 21 of the heating unit. The

peculiar shape of the heating unit causes it to be much hotter toward the top of the curved portion than itI is at the outer edges. Therefore when kerosene that will vaporize at a comparatively low temperature is being fed this will strike upon the curved surface near the base where the heat is not so intensey and it will be vaporized and the gas will pass ofl" into the intake manifold. If however the vaporizing point of the particular grade of kerosene being used is such-that it takes a much greater heat to cause vaporization, then the liquid spray will ass further over the curved surface 21 until 1t reaches a point on` said surface that is hot enough to cause vaporization.

I have found in connection with the use of my device that very satisfactory results can be obtained with practically all of the grades of so-ca-lled kerosene now in conimon use.

One of the advantageous features of my invent-ion is that when the engine running, say for instance at an avera e speed and itis desired to increase the spee very materially the operator simply manipulates the throttle valve in the ordinary manner. W'hen this is done the throttle is opened, the space between the shoulder 19 and the adjacent surface is enlarged and the rheostat is operated to give a proportionately increased amount. of heat to the heating unit so that as the larger quantity of liquid fuel is drawn toward the heating unit, the heat will be proportionately increased. It is also an advantage to provide means whereby the heat supplied to the heating unit may be regu lated independently of the throttle.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vaporizer, a mixing chamber, having an inclined wall forming a heating surface, means for heating said surface, a fuel passage leading to the lower portion of said surface, an air intake passage leading tothe lower portion of said surface and means for regulating the supply of air passing through said intake passage.

2. In a device of the class described, a mixing chamber, an adjustable hea ting surface therein, means said surface, a discharge tube communicating with said chamber above said surface, a. throttle in said tube, means for heating said surface, means for regulating said throttle and said heating means, and means for regulating the iiow of fuel to said surface.

3. In a vaporizer, a heating surface, means for feeding fuel thereto, a discharge tube above said surface, a throttle in said tube, means for heating said surfafe, and means for regulating said heating means and said throttle-in unison.

4. In a. vaporizer, 'the combination of a mixing chamber having an outlet opening at its upper end and having its sides curved downwardly and outwardly, a hea ting element within the mixing chamber ha vi g its sides curved downwardly and outwart y toward the base and approaching the. sides of the mixing chamber at its base, and ans-.ans for supplying liquid fuel'to the interior of the mixing rhaniber at tli point where the mixing chamber and the sides of 'the heating element approach each other at the base 'opening between the for supplying fuel tov of the heating element, for the .purposes stated.

5. In a vaporizer, the combination of a cylindrical receptacle to contain liquid fuel, means for regulating the supply of liquid fuel to said chamber, a heating element on the top of said chamber having its sides curved inwardly and upwardly from the top of said chamber, a mixing chamber surrounding the liquid fuel chamber and caable of vertical movement relative thereto, the top of the mixing chamber having its sides curved inwardly and upwardly and provided with an outlet at the top, said parts being so shaped as to form a narrow opening between the base of the heating element and the sides of the mixing chamber, the sides of the liquid fuel chamber being provided with passageways for liquid fuel leading to the edge of the base of the heating element, a throttle at the outlet of the mixing chamber, and means operated in unison with the throttle for moving the mixing chamber relative to the liquidl fuel chamber to enlarge or diminish the size of the base of the heating element and the sides of the mixing chamber.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a liquid fuel chamber having means for supplying liquid fuel thereto, means for regulating the supply of liquid fuel, said `chamber being provided with passageways in its side walls extending to the top thereof, an electrie heating element at the top of the liquid fuel chamber having its sides curved inwardly and upwardly, a. mixing chamber surrounding the liquid fuel chamber and having an inlet opening. at one side and an outlet, opening at its top, the sides of said mixing chamber .above the liquid fuel chamber being curved inwardly and upwardly, a throttle valve at the outlet of themixing chamber, said mixing chamber being provided with an air inlet opening at its lower portion, means operated by the throttle valvev for moving the liquid fuel chamber vertically to increase or passageway between the liquid fuel chamber and the mixing chamber, a lever for controlling the throttle, a rheostat electrically connected with the electric heating element` a lever for controlling the rheostat, and

means for connecting the throttle lever and' the rheostat lever for operating them in unison. for the purposes stated.

les Moines, Iowa, June 13, 1913.

OLIVER I. UNDERWOOD. Witnesses:

M. WALLACE, A. Gr. HAGUE,

et this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by addreuing the Communicatie at Patents l Washington, l). C.

diminish the size of the IlO 

